Quinn Ewers Reveals How He Has Improved So Much From 2022 to Sugar Bowl
Last season, Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers looked like a deer in headlights for most of the season.
This season, he has looked like a future NFL star, dicing up opposing defenses to the tune of 3,161 yards and 21 touchdowns in just 11 (really 10.5) games, averaging 287.4 yards per game along the way.
So when did Ewers find the time to make such a drastic improvement? Well, it started with the Alamo Bowl prep for the Washington Huskies - the same team he plays on Monday night in New Orleans in the Sugar Bowl for a right to go to the national championship game.
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"Last year's bowl prep is when I really started getting a grasp of the offense the way that I do this year," Ewers said Friday. "And I think that just created a domino effect for this year, so it's definitely been huge."
Last season against Washington, Ewers completed 31 of 37 passes for 369 yards and a touchdown in the 27-20 loss, meaning that since a year ago today (as we write this), Ewers is averaging 294.2 yards per game through the air and is completing 70.2 percent of his throws.
As a matter of perspective, in his nine previous appearances before last season's Alamo Bowl, Ewers was averaging just over 200 yards a game and was completing just over 56 percent of his passes.
It is a monumental leap that Ewers credits to his patience and understanding of the offense.
"I think everybody has just improved drastically, including myself," Ewers said. "I'm able to just take what the defense gives me instead of forcing throws. I think everyone has a totally different understanding of the offense. We're a lot more comfortable within the offense."
That said, Ewers has done more than just improve his stats.
He has also become a tremendous leader, which has reverberated throughout the rest of the roster, and helped turn the Longhorns into a championship contender.
"I think vocally I've changed a whole lot," Ewers said. "Just the confidence that I have my teammates and the confidence they have in me, ultimately, helps overall the way that I'm able to lead."
Now, he gets a chance to be the first Texas quarterback to lead his team to a spot in the national championship game since Colt McCoy in 2009.
And he gets a chance to do it against the team that helped turn him into the quarterback he is today one year ago.
"It's good playing those guys a year ago, but it's a different team," Ewers said. "We both have different teams. But it's going to be a good atmosphere, and I know we're fired up to get out there and play."
